Archive for May, 2010
Mix CD: Summer 2010
We're all going on a summer holiday
This here blog has been a bit rubbish recently, hasn’t it? Too many dammed YouTube videos, not enough reviews of exciting new electronica LPs. Mostly, it’s been down to connect_icut/CSAF-related busyness, which is a pretty good reason, wouldn’t you say? Sadly, it’s going to get worse before it gets better. But this time it’s all down to a family vacation, which is an even better reason, wouldn’t you agree?
Will this make it any better: an obscure indie pop gem by an undeservedly overlooked Australian band from the ’90s? Dig that crazy sea shanty!
Even As We Speak – “Beautiful Day”
Not good enough, you say? Well then, how about some links to notable recent posts that you may have missed?
The Miracles Club – an appreciation
CRES Media Arts Committee Audio Art CD Series
What do you mean “pathetic”? Okay, okay, how about this here blog’s mix CD for summer 2010? Sure, it’s not really summer yet but some of us are taking our summer vacations now and you do seem to be getting rather impatient. So, you can download the whole thing by clicking on this link right here or simply listen to individual songs by clicking on the track-listing below (except for the mysterious first track – you’ll have to grab the whole mix to find out what that is!)
1. Mystery track
3. High Places – “On a Hill in a Bed on a Road in a House”
5. Serena-Maneesh – “I Just Want to See Your Face”
7. Oneohtrix Point Never – “Returnal”
8. The Miracles Club – “A New Love”
10. Dirty Projectors – “Stillness is the Move”
11. Joanna Newson – “Does Not Suffice”
12. Klimek – “Into Zero (with Hugo Race)”
13. Alva Noto – “Xerrox Monophaser Two”
14. Loscil – “Dub for Cascadia”
15. Johann Johannsson – “Part Five/The Sun’s Gone Dim and the Sky’s Turned Black”
16. Fennesz – “Szampler [extract]”
Satisfied now? Too much indie rock??? Tough!
Back in three weeks.
The Fall – “Dead Bead Descendent”
“Dead Beat Descendent”, performed live in the studio for Snub TV, which was a great show (if memory serves).
Aren’t We Pleased with Ourselves?
Cleo and a friend, yesterday
We are very much enjoying the 180g white vinyl re-issue of Sonic Youth’s Confusion is Sex that we scored at Zulu a couple of weeks ago.
Sonic Youth – “Freezer Burn/I Wanna be Your Dog”
Oh and the 180g marbled pink vinyl re-issue of Evol we scored at Red Cat is pretty sweet too.
Quiet City – A Reminder
Quiet City - May 14th 2010
Don’t forget about this…
May 14th
Quiet City
connect_icut
Dr. Dad’s Sound Lab
Holzkopf
Kellarissa
Blim (115 East Pender, Vancouver)
8pm
connect_icut – “Chrome Burner Holy Day”
connect_icut at Fake Sleep by Steve Louie
More great Fake Sleep images at Steve Louie’s Flickr page.
Very Good Indeed!
A connect_icut Album, Yesterday
When browsing at your local vinyl emporium, the descriptions you see on the sleeves of records will – more often than not – be copied and pasted straight from the Internet, with few alterations and no credit given to the original writer. Take it from one who’s done this many times. All well and good – just don’t assume that said writer will never notice.
Fennesz – Szampler (The Tape Worm) Cassette
Fennesz - Szampler
A scrappy cassette release is not the sort of thing you’d normally expect from Fennesz – a man who, by habit, likes to digitally craft his solo albums over a period of several years. Clearly then, this extremely limited-edition cassette, from Touch-affiliated label The Tape Worm, is something of an anomaly in Fennesz’s discography. As such, it casts light on a few of the lesser-known artefacts lurking in the dark corners his sound-world.
The concept seems to be that Fennesz has dumped all of the sounds that were sitting on his old Ensoniq hardware samplers onto a cassette tape and made the results available to the world. Said results work surprisingly well, on a musical level, though – Szampler comprises a series of murkily intimate sonic vignettes that have that distinct “reading under the covers” aura about them.
The real surprise, though, is how many recognizable snippets of Fennesz’s classic albums crop up here. One would have been forgiven for thinking that, following his debut EP Instrument, Fennesz abandoned hardware samplers completely, in favour of Mac laptops and Max/MSP. However, this release makes it clear that he has continued to run sounds through his samplers, presumably to utilize the signature low-resolution Ensoniq sound (which is perfect for his aesthetic). So, for example, the riff from Endless Summer‘s “A Year in a Minute” is clearly audible in this extract from near the beginning of side one (and it reappears, in a much less processed form, around the middle of side two).
This review should have come a lot earlier. Szampler arrived at Bubblegum Cage III’s palatial offices some weeks ago but busyness prevented this post from showing up until now. In the interim, Szampler seems to have gone waaay out of print. Sorry about that.
Mix CD: Dream Rock & Noise Pop 1985-93 (Vol. 1)
Dream Rock & Noise Pop 1985-93 (Vol. 1)
The usual disclaimers apply – this is a personal selection of favourite songs, which – broadly speaking – share an aesthetic and a historical legacy. It is not an attempt to provide a comprehensive overview of any particular scene or era.
It’s also worth noting that certain bands (Papa Sprain, Flying Saucer Attack, Bowery Electric…) were excluded because they might be better placed on one of this here blog’s famous post-rock compilations.
Here’s the track-listing. Click on the individual songs to listen or click here to download the first half and here to download the second. These are Mediafire links and they will expire but you can feel free to report broken links. We’ll see what we can do.
Edit, December 28th 2010: After a recent surge of interest in this compilation (one might almost be tempted to use the word “viral”) this here blog has decided to replace the old links with permanent, non-expiring alternatives. Click here to download the first half and click here to download the second half. Goodness knows quite why this particular comp has become so popular. In retrospect, the second half is a bit patchy and the post-rock mixes should be far more interesting or at least far less obvious.
1. The Jesus and Mary Chain – “You Trip Me Up”
2. Cocteau Twins – “Aikea-Guinea”
3. My Bloody Valentine – “Slow”
4. A.R. Kane – “Baby Milk Snatcher”
7. The House of Love – “Destroy the Heart”
9. My Bloody Valentine – “Loomer”
10. Slowdive – “Catch the Breeze”
11. Pale Saints – “Throwing Back the Apple”
13. Medicine – “A Short Happy Life”
14. Black Tambourine – “Throw Aggi Off the Bridge”
17. The Boo Radleys – “Upon 9th and Fairchild”
Bubblegum Cage III 